random files not getting backed up

[fitness88]

Using eM Client v9.9 943, after a backup I do a random file check manually to make sure important files are getting backed up. I noticed 3 Excel business data files missing in the latest backup…they are present in the source folder and have been getting backed up until today. I have 3 different backups for the same files…external hard-drive, and 2 memory sticks…all 3 backups exhibited the same files not being backed up. These are Excel business data files, there is 1 for each year going back 20 years, all but the same 3 got backed up.
Could it be my eM Client settings?
What concerns me is what other files are not getting backed up that I don’t know about..there are no errors reported at the end of the back up.

[Adrian (Softland)]

Hi,

Do you have the same problem if you uncheck the "Smart file scanning mode" option from "Backup Properties->Advanced" page.

[fitness88]

Hi,

Do you have the same problem if you uncheck the "Smart file scanning mode" option from "Backup Properties->Advanced" page.

Yes I do...

[fitness88]

Hi,

Do you have the same problem if you uncheck the "Smart file scanning mode" option from "Backup Properties->Advanced" page.

What I did with the few missing files was I copied the missing files from my hard-drive source into the backup destination folder...am I allowed to manually add or delete files from the destination backup or must I always do it through the FBackup by unchecking or checking source boxes?

[Adrian (Softland)]

Hi,

You need to use FBackup, not to manually copy/edit/delete files in destination.
The backup destination is supposed to be a safe copy of the source files.
If you manually change them, when FBackup will try to restore them, it will look for missing files in destination. The new files manually copied in destination will not be restored by FBackup as it uses a backup catalog with information about the files backed up.

[fitness88]

Hi,

You need to use FBackup, not to manually copy/edit/delete files in destination.
The backup destination is supposed to be a safe copy of the source files.
If you manually change them, when FBackup will try to restore them, it will look for missing files in destination. The new files manually copied in destination will not be restored by FBackup as it uses a backup catalog with information about the files backed up.

When I originally noticed the 4 files missing in the destination [ext. hard drive], first I made sure they were checked off properly in the sources window which they were, I then ran another backup but still they were not being backed up from source. At this point I had no choice but to copy and paste the files from source into my backup destination otherwise I'd never have a copy to restore.
As per your point about doing what I did manually, I tested just now to see if the files would be accurately restored...I did a restore of just those 4 files into a test folder, they restored up to date accurately. I also did another backup then I did another restore to further test...all went perfectly well.
If I didn't do the manual copy and paste they would never have gotten backed up. I'm not sure if you fully understood what my issue was because after the manual copy/paste all was accurately backed up. I had 2 other backups on memory sticks that included these 4 files and the exact same issue of not being backed up occurred. They too are now up to date and restoring accurately after doing the copy and paste into destination.
What concerns me as mentioned previously, I noticed these 4 files not being backed up but what about the ones I haven't caught...and I have to assume there must be others as well.

I must add; this issue has occurred in the past a few times going back many versions of FBackup.

[Adrian (Softland)]

Hi,

FBackup uses the backup catalog to determine which files were backed up. If you perform a restore, that is made file by file, respecting the folder structure.
With other words, if FBackup did not backed up a file, it will not restore it as that file does not appear in the backup catalog.

You said there were 4 files missing from destination. Then you manually copied those files in destination.
FBackup cannot know you manually put some files there. There is no way that FBackup will restore some random files from backup destination. If those 4 files were restored by FBackup, it means those files exists in backup catalog, as they were already backed up.
That would explain why those files were not backed up. It is possible that someone deleted by mistake those 4 files from destination while FBackup previously backed them up.
When scanning the source files, to create the list of files to be backed up, FBackup compares the source files with the information stored in backup catalog. If those files exists in catalog and it was not changed in source, they will not be backed up again.

[fitness88]

Hi,

FBackup uses the backup catalog to determine which files were backed up. If you perform a restore, that is made file by file, respecting the folder structure.
With other words, if FBackup did not backed up a file, it will not restore it as that file does not appear in the backup catalog.
Yes this I clearly understand and makes sense.

You said there were 4 files missing from destination. Then you manually copied those files in destination.
Yes, but understand that these files were always in the previous back up source and previous back up destination and have always been getting backed up...they have never been deleted by me.

FBackup cannot know you manually put some files there.
There is no way that FBackup will restore some random files from backup destination. If those 4 files were restored by FBackup, it means those files exists in backup catalog, as they were already backed up.
That would explain why those files were not backed up. It is possible that someone deleted by mistake those 4 files from destination while FBackup previously backed them up.
I understand this but nobody deleted the 4 files and I only manually put the files back into the destination after FBackup ignored them not before. Remember I had this same exact issue with 3 different back ups [1 ext. hard drive 2 memory sticks] involving these same files on the same day


When scanning the source files, to create the list of files to be backed up, FBackup compares the source files with the information stored in backup catalog. If those files exists in catalog and it was not changed in source, they will not be backed up again.

[Adrian (Softland)]

Hi,

Can you reproduce the problem with a new test backup job using those 4 files?

[fitness88]

Hi,

Can you reproduce the problem with a new test backup job using those 4 files?

Once this issue occurs I can always reproduce it every time I do a backup but once I have corrected it by manually copying the files into the destination folder I will no longer be able to reproduce this issue until the next time it happens which could be many months from now based on previous experience with this issue.
Thank you Adrian for your follow up...I appreciate it and want to mention again that copying any missing files from source into destination always corrects my backup going forward. Once copied the files will resume being backed up like all the other files...until perhaps 6-12 months later when once again this issue will happen.
My concern as mentioned is not noticing other files that have not been backed up. I always manually verify the same few important files that's how I catch the problem when it ocurrs.